The Kitten and the Snake
by Abicion
Summary: Yeah, a serious 5-chapter Shizukane story written by the guy who is both the internet's biggest Akane fanboy and the internet's most obnoxious Shizuru hater.
1. Chapter 1

Shizuru Fujino sat at the front of a Fuuka Academy classroom enjoying a warm cup of tea. The only other person of the room was Akane Higurashi, who had arrived to class early that morning. The Student President curiously watched as the ponytailed girl stewed to herself at her desk over some unknown topic, and she couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor girl. She placed her cup on the desk in front of her before quietly approaching Akane's side. She spoke in a nurturing voice when she reached her destination.

"What's wrong, Akane?"

Akane never lifted her hanging head when she replied. Her brown eyes seemed to be obsessing over a small scratch on her school desk.

"I... it's nothing, Shizuru."

The wiser Fuuka student closed her eyes in thought. She hated to pry, but she felt Akane would fall into even worse shape if she continued to bottle up her emotions. In many ways, Shizuru saw Akane as being the exact opposite of herself. Akane was always quiet and shy, while she was school's sociable role model. Akane always seemed to be by herself, while she practically had the entire academy following her. Furthermore, in the secret secondary lives the two girls shared, Akane appeared brash and inexperienced in combat, while she fought with the skill of a reserved and noble warrior. Shizuru found Akane's simplicity to be rather cute, and she felt compelled to give the despairing girl the support she needed. When she opened her eyes again, Shizuru questioned Akane in the same calm voice as before.

"Did something happen with that boy you were interested in?"

This inquiry struck an obvious chord for Akane. Her shoulders began to shiver slightly, and she leaned forward to lower her head further. She soon slammed the bottom of her fist against the desk, and tiny sobs flooded her words when she finally replied.

"I'm such a moron! I... I was just about to tell Kazuya how I felt about him yesterday, but then I saw he's already going out with someone else! I should have had the courage to tell him earlier!"

Shizuru frowned when she understood the source of Akane's troubles. She leaned forward so she could be level with Akane, then carefully placed her hand under the sorrowful brunette's chin to lift her head, bringing her watery eyes to Shizuru's compassionate gaze. Akane halted her sobs and blinked when she saw Shizuru offer her a comforting smile. The older girl then spoke to her again.

"Don't worry, Akane. This will pass, and you'll only become a stronger person. You won't make the same mistake next time."

Akane's light brown eyes peered to the side in doubt. Her sobs returned to her voice, albeit weaker than they were before.

"What 'next time'? Hardly anyone in this school notices me."

Shizuru tilted her head as she chuckled playfully.

"Oh? I think you have at least a few other admirers..."

When Akane's eyes returned to Shizuru, they sparkled with a tiny hint curiosity. Akane now questioned her supporter with hope in her voice.

"Like who?"

With this, Shizuru leaned further so her lips became dangerously close to Akane's. When she saw the younger girl make no resistance, she closed the tiny gap between them and gave Akane a soft kiss. Akane's eyes initially widened with shock, but then slowly closed as she relaxed into the embrace.

Shizuru now lightly tapped her tongue against Akane's mouth, politely asking to be let in. Akane opened the door after a second of hesitation, and Shizuru soon felt her new love's tongue timidly poke against her own. When the two young women broke apart, Akane was blushing deeply and there were small droplets of happiness in the corners of her eyes.

"Shizuru, I... I didn't know you felt that way about me..."

Akane's sorrow had almost faded away entirely. She didn't care the older girl's actions had been somewhat impulsive, as Shizuru had given her just the companion she needed at this point in her life. There was only one problem.

"But... don't you think this is kind of... weird? We're both girls..."

Shizuru quickly closed her eyes and shook her head at Akane's hushed words. She answered with a natural tone of leadership in her voice.

"What difference does that make? Love should be allowed to take any form it wants."

Delight filled Akane's face, and she soon nodded in agreement. Shizuru rested a hand on her shoulder before offering her further support.

"Now, don't go on saying no one cares about you, okay?"

Having returned to her usual cheerful self, Akane replied with youthful energy in her voice.

"Right!"

Shizuru grinned before speaking again.

"Good. Let's support each other from now on. Any time you have another problem, come right to me. I'll even help you..."

Her hand moved from Akane's shoulder to the back of her orange uniform. Shizuru's fingers moved in a slow circular motion, tracing around the hidden birthmark near Akane's left shoulder blade.

"...fight some of those Orphans."

Akane gasped quietly at Shizuru's actions. She quickly looked down to bury her face in shame again.

"Shi... Shizuru, you know about me?"

Shizuru supplied a simple, quiet nod before responding.

"Of course. It's my job to keep an eye on all of the students."

Akane's voice wavered when she questioned the Class President again.

"And you're a HiME too?"

This was followed by a similar nod from Shizuru. Akane lifted her head again before quietly begging.

"Pl-... please don't tell anyone about me. If anyone found out I was..."

Shizuru politely interrupted her words with another warm smile.

"I understand, Akane. It'll be our little secret."

Joy quickly returned to the shy girl's face. The two students then spent the next several minutes chatting about the current events in their lives.


	2. Chapter 2

"The Orphans you've defeated were only for training. Now you'll have to fight each others' Childs."

Nagi grinned maniacally as the group of HiME he was looming over let out a collective gasp. He was standing on the roof of Fuuka Academy, backed by an ominous night sky. The HiME appeared to him like twelve little ants as they stood on the paved entrance way below.

"Don't worry, though. You'll only be killing each Child."

His words of encouragement caused one of the HiME to step forward in anger. The speaker was a hotheaded young woman with blue hair.

"Don't lie to us, Nagi! If one of our Childs die, so does whoever summoned it! You're trying to get us all to become murderers!"

Natsuki grit her teeth as Nagi only sighed and shook his head.

"Well, if you have to put it that way, I guess you would be murderers, but you won't be killing other HiME."

A girl with vibrant red hair stepped out from the group next and began scrutinizing Nagi.

"What are you talking about? You said if a Child dies, so does the HiME. Were you just making that up, too?"

Nagi smirked and placed a hand on his hip as he responded.

"You misinterpreted me, Midori. I never said YOU would die. I said you would lose the thing most important to you."

His grin became wider before he continued.

"What I meant was when a HiME's Child dies, the life of the person dearest to that HiME fades along with it. Killing a HiME directly takes out all three."

This was followed by another, similar collective gasp from the group of young women. Nagi reacted to this by sighing again and moving his hand to his forehead.

"Does it really make a difference?"

The orange-haired member of the group now stepped forward and contributed her own contempt.

"Of course it does, you asshole! You know I never would have made that pact with Kagutsuchi if I knew I would just be putting Takumi in MORE danger! You did everything you could to make us think you were talking about our own lives!"

The egotistical young man shook his head before responding to this objection.

"If that's how you feel, Mai, so be it. To me, you were all practically begging for the ability to use your Childs and would have put anything at stake to get it."

This was predictably followed by most of the twelve girls resorting to various angered screams and insults toward their deceitful mentor. When he eventually regained control of the situation, Nagi turned toward the moon and pointed to the solitary red star shining just to its side.

"Now, here's how things are going to work, my dear princesses: The HiME Star is currently on a collision course with this planet. Either eleven of you can offer your loved ones as sacrifices so the remaining HiME will be strong enough to stop it, or all of humanity will be destroyed. Your choice should be pretty easy."

Akane had now heard enough, and came forward with her own separate argument.

"You've already lied to us to get us this far, Nagi! How can we be sure you're not just doing the same thing now?"

Nagi turned his head and narrowed his eyes toward the normally soft-spoken girl before replying.

"How can you be sure I am?"

He scratched his head in annoyance, then spoke again.

"I figured at least one of you was going to be overly optimistic about this. If you want to convince yourselves I'm lying and the HiME Star isn't powerful enough to obliterate your entire race this instant, be my guest. Don't say I didn't warn you if your gamble turns out to be wrong, though."

He sneered slightly as he stroked his chin.

"Will all of you be willing to take that risk, though? It would be so much safer to just let a handful of people die so no harm can come to the rest of you."

These ominous words were met with silence from the crowd of young girls. Each stood with doubt swirling through their minds, and they occasionally raised their sunken heads only to give each other quick, paranoid glances. As they remained in tragic thought, Nagi coldly shrugged and spoke from his pulpit a final time.

"That's all I have to tell you. We have a schedule to keep, so try not to think about this for too long."

After saying this, he silently stepped toward the back of the roof and faded from the girls' sight. The group of HiME soon broke apart and left in separate paths, with each girl hardly saying a word to her peers. Within a few minutes, the only people still standing on the entrance way were Akane and Shizuru. They were facing each other and holding their hands together when Akane weakly spoke.

"Shizuru, you're my..."

The older girl finished Akane's trailing words with only a nod before she looked to the side. Akane was unsettled by the fact that even her level-headed companion was now displaying doubt. This was the first time she had ever seen Shizuru like this, and she felt only slightly relieved when Shizuru sighed and raised her head to speak.

"Akane, I... I'm not going to fight you. We'll figure out a way to get through all of this."

Akane responded with an uneasy smile. The two girls then shared a small parting kiss before they returned to their homes that night.


	3. Chapter 3

Akane quietly prayed in the chapel near Fuuka Academy. This was not a typical activity for her, but she was desperate to find guidance in any way she could. Nagi's taunting words had haunted her for the past several days, and Shizuru's resolve had remained in question ever since.

When Akane eventually stood up from her pew, she raised her hand to her temple and fought a sudden headache. When the mysterious pain subsided, Akane turned to exit the church. As she approached the front of the structure, she noticed Shizuru was there waiting for her at the double doors. The older girl was waving toward her as she spoke in a playful tone.

"Come here, Akane. I need to tell you something."

Akane nodded and continued walking closer to Shizuru. This was the happiest she had seen her friend since before Nagi's shocking revelation, and she became anxious to hear what plan Shizuru had come up with.

Sister Yukariko Sanada was overcome by a sudden swarm of guilt as she watched Akane fall into her illusion. The young student was quickly approaching Yukariko's Child, Vrus, who was awaiting her with its deadly trap. Yukariko had sadly determined that Akane's non-compliant attitude toward the HiME Festival was a threat toward the world, and her removal would be the safest solution for all parties involved. At least the poor thing would die in bliss, Yukariko told herself, and her demise would be quick and merciful.

"Akane, watch out!"

Akane suddenly stopped in place and twisted her head toward the sound of Shizuru's real voice. With Vrus' mental hold interrupted, Akane's hypnotized eyes returned to normal and saw Shizuru desperately running toward her from the side of the church. She turned her head back toward where the illusion of Shizuru had been standing moments earlier, then gasped at the monstrosity now seated before her. A mechanical steed shaped like an enormous chess piece peered down at her with glowing eyes. She was standing only a few feet away from the beast's broad chest, which was currently split open to reveal its spiked interior, as if the entire monster was a giant iron maiden. Akane stepped backwards in horror, barely avoiding a dance with death when the trap loudly snapped shut.

"Get away from that thing!"

Shizuru had now summoned her signature naginata into her hands as she shouted toward Akane, and she slashed the bladed end of the weapon at the horse when she reached the younger girl's side. The mighty creature disappeared before it was struck, however, and revealed the meek nun who had been standing behind it the entire time.

"I... I'm sorry! This is the only way!"

As Yukariko begged for forgiveness, Akane stared at the young woman in bewilderment.

"Sis...ter...?"

Yukariko's pleas were not enough to settle Shizuru's new rage, and she barely avoided another naginata slash aimed directly at her. After this close call, she ran toward the back of the church as Vrus reappeared in front of Shizuru. When Yukariko materialized a white bow and arrow into her hands, Shizuru and Akane were sandwiched between two deadly enemies.

"The world will only be safe if the Festival proceeds the way Nagi wants. I can't allow either of you to live."

Yukariko drew her bow back with shaking arms as tears streamed down her face. She was obviously at odds with her mission, but she ultimately saw it as a necessary evil.

"May God have mercy on your souls."

When she shot her first arrow, Shizuru and Akane evaded her attack with ease. This was followed by Shizuru crouching and holding her naginata overhead as she prepared to charge at Yukariko. Her concentration was abruptly broken when Vrus swung one of its long wings toward her back, hitting both her and Akane as they stood close together. The two screaming girls were violently propelled through the air and crashed through several rows of pews. Akane and Shizuru slowly rose back to their feet as Yukariko aimed another arrow for the Class President's heart.

Akane's eyes frantically peered back and forth between Yukariko and Shizuru. She knew Shizuru didn't have time to summon Kiyohime before the next attack, leaving her with a 2-on-1 disadvantage. Seeing her love in danger, Akane made the decision to take matters into her own hands. She closed her eyes as her twin spinning tonfa materialized at her sides, and she dashed toward Yukariko with full conviction in her voice.

"I won't let you hurt Shizuru!"

The short-haired nun was taken aback by Akane's sudden entry into the fight. She didn't have time to block Akane's brutal melee attack, and her neck shattered to pieces when the blunt end of a tonfa slammed into her cheek. The defeated HiME toppled to the ground as her bow fell from her hands and her Child collapsed forward.

Akane dropped her tonfa and fell to her knees as she regained her composure in gasping breaths. Yukariko, the bow, and Vrus each dissolved into a swarm of green particles that disappeared into the air, removing most of the evidence of the scuffle. Although the doomed nun had been the only visible victim, Akane realized she was responsible for the deaths of two people in this battle. As guilt and panic set in, she raised arms and wailed into her palms.

"I can't take it any more! It's just too much!"

She then lowered her hands on the ground in front of her, and her tears began falling from her face and splashing onto the floor of the church.

"I never wanted anything like this to happen when I became a HiME! Why do we even exist if we're just supposed to kill each other?"

The naginata peacefully faded from Shizuru's hands before the more calm girl walked toward Akane's sobbing form. Upon reaching her, Shizuru knelt down in front of her and placed a hand on her shoulder before speaking in an encouraging tone.

"Don't worry, Akane. If we have to fight, the two of us can beat this thing together."

Akane choked back her next wave of tears after hearing Shizuru's friendly words. Remembering the older girl was there to support her absorbed some of her despair, and she slowly lifted her head and forced her sorrowful face into the best smile she could manage. Finding herself unable to speak, she only answered with a small nod.

The two girls shared a long hug as the rest of Akane's cries gradually stifled.


	4. Chapter 4

"And where do you ladies think you're going?"

Shizuru and Akane stood side by side with determined looks on their faces as Nagi blocked their path. The three figures were standing in the heart of the ancient shrine underneath Fuuka Academy. Ten of the eleven columns that adorned this place had been raised, and the two remaining girls had resolved to stop the HiME Festival in a team effort.

"Get out of the way, Nagi. We're going to stop Reito, or Obsidian Lord, or whatever the Hell he's calling himself now."

Shizuru spoke coldly to the smirking lad, and the ever smug subordinate answered her demands with a short laugh.

"I can't let you do that. Neither of you deserve to see him yet."

Akane snarled toward this answer before speaking out with her own anger.

"What are you talking about? We've played your horrible game, and we're the only ones left. You have to let us through!"

Nagi lifted a hand to his forehead before sighing and speaking.

"I couldn't let you through if I wanted to."

He shook his head and yawned before continuing in a tiresome voice.

"You girls still don't get it. The one you seek is in the Obsidian Palace, and the only way for anyone else to get there is through this gateway."

He turned his head to acknowledge a strange pattern of rocks lining the cave floor.

"Then open the damn thing!"

Shizuru shouted with contempt in her voice, obviously growing impatient with Nagi's taunts.

"I'm afraid I can't do that. The only time the palace doors open is when all eleven of those things have been raised."

He nodded toward the opposite direction, focusing on the garden of stone monoliths. One had risen from the ground with each HiME's defeat, representing the dearest person she had lost.

"I have to hand it to you guys, we almost didn't get this far. I got a little worried when the clever one over here..."

Nagi winked sarcastically toward Akane.

"...figured out the Festival could have been prevented. The others were dumb enough to buy the whole 'inescapable destiny' deal, though, and now all of the sorrowful emotion they've generated has given the HiME Star enough energy to destroy this planet for sure."

Shizuru's temper finally gave way, and the normally reserved girl lunged forward to grab the pompous villain by the collar of his school uniform.

"You bastard!"

Nagi raised his hands to feign surrender and playfully begged for his safety.

"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! You've already seen the HiME Star has landed on the ground above us. Like it or not, my information is all you guys have if you really want to save the world now."

The entire cave suddenly shook with a short tremor, undoubtedly caused by the red satellite's increasingly unstable power. Nagi looked upward before he spoke again.

"And it sounds like you're running out of time."

As anger continued to boil through Shizuru's mind, Akane spoke softly to calm her.

"Let... let him go, Shizuru..."

Shizuru soon shook her head back to awareness and listened to her lover's advice. As Nagi casually fixed his collar, Akane turned to him to question him.

"So, what exactly are we supposed to do? If Shizuru and I fight, it doesn't matter who wins. We're each others' most important person, and we'd both die."

Nagi crossed his arms and returned to his usual scheming self when he replied.

"Yeah, about that..."

He paused to scratch his chin.

"To be honest, none of the other Festivals have come down to this sort of contingency before. The boss said he's willing to waive the rules a little bit so things can still go smoothly, though."

He slowly observed the two girls as if in consideration.

"Basically, if you two agree to fight here, whoever loses this battle will become the final sacrifice. Only one of you has to die, while the other goes on to meet Obsidian Lord."

Shizuru quickly clenched her eyes shut and peered downward at these cruel words. The underground chamber remained in silence for a few moments after this.

"Kill me."

Shizuru's eyes fluttered open and her head quickly turned in the direction of Akane's voice.

"Akane, what do mean...?"

As Shizuru questioned Akane in uncertainty, she could see the younger girl was clearly frightened, but was trying to build the courage necessary to accept her fate.

"It's the only choice we have. If it has to come down to one of us, you're definitely stronger than I am. I'll let you win so you can save your power for..."

Shizuru gasped before she desperately replied.

"No, Akane! I can't just give up protecting you! Not after getting this far!"

Akane soon raised her voice to match Shizuru's. Small droplets were forming in her eyes.

"We don't have any other options, Shizuru! If I have to die so everyone else can be safe, then that's what I'll do!"

Shizuru soon broke down into her own tears. She stepped forward so she could place both of her hands on Akane's shoulders before speaking.

"There has to be a better way..."

Akane looked downward in thought for a few seconds. She then lifted her arms and roughly threw Shizuru's hands off of her shoulders. Next, she used her nimble agility to hop a few paces backwards and summon her tonfa at her sides.

"If you're not willing to accept my challenge, then you're weaker than I thought, Shizuru!"

Akane's Child materialized on Shizuru's opposite side and growled at his prey. As Hari hunched on all fours, Nagi put a safe distance between himself and the two girls. He seemed delighted by Akane's course of action.

"Now that's more like it!"

Shizuru stared toward Akane in disbelief. Her eyes remained wide as she muttered quietly to herself.

"She's lost it..."

With the battlefield drawn, Shizuru cleared her thoughts and gave Akane a firm nod. The less experienced fighter allowed her opponent to summon her naginata and prepare herself for the fight. When Shizuru was ready, Akane and Hari lunged from their opposite sides in unison. Before the two attackers met in the center of the shrine, Shizuru gracefully lept into the air and twirled over Akane's shoulders. Akane was able to use her sharp reflexes to spin around and meet Shizuru as soon as she landed on her feet, however, and the cave filled with metallic echoes as Akane's tonfa frantically crashed against the pole of Shizuru's naginata in alternating strikes.

Desperation was rising in Shizuru's mind as Akane's rapid attacks quickly backed her into a corner. After studying Akane's rhythm for few seconds, she noticed a predictable opening between the smaller HiME's strikes. Taking this advantage, she suddenly swung to butt of her naginata upward, knocking the wind out of Akane and staggering her several meters backwards. Shizuru immediately capitalized on this counterattack by swinging her weapon forward, causing the extending chain mechanism inside of the pole to unlock and send its curved blade screaming toward her recovering opponent. When Akane heard this crucial sound, a hidden smile crossed her lips and she willingly dropped her tonfa to the ground.

The defeated HiME cried out in pain as she was impaled through the center of her torso. She soon collapsed to her knees and began breathing in labored sighs, with an added yelp when Shizuru tugged on the steel chain to withdraw the bloodied blade from her stomach and return it to the end of its pole. When Shizuru cautiously approached her fallen enemy, Akane let out a painful giggle.

"Thanks, Shizuru..."

Shizuru blinked in bewilderment at Akane's words. The seated girl was hiding her face by looking downward, reminding Shizuru of the day they had fallen in love.

"Akane?"

Akane remained almost motionless when she continued speaking.

"I'm not sure I'd be able to go on if I had really tried to kill you."

Shizuru's eyes widened in shock as a new feeling of regret overwhelmed her. She let her naginata clatter to the ground and threw herself to her knees so she could be level with Akane.

"You mean you weren't being serious?"

Akane finally lifted her head. Her expression was an ironic combination agony and bliss, and she offered Shizuru a weak smile.

"Yeah. I know how much I mean to you, so I had to give you a little motivation. I hope you can forgive me for tricking you."

Tears now streamed down Shizuru's cheeks.

"Akane, I'm the one who should be apologizing!"

Akane slowly shook her head as she placed a hand over her painful wound. There was a new joy in her voice as she tried to help the older girl through her guilty conscience.

"Hey, don't cry over me just yet. I know this is rough on you, but you have to hang in there just a little longer. If you let everything end here, my death won't mean anything."

Shizuru choked her tears before offering a stern nod.

"Alright. I'll stop that monster from hurting anyone else. I promise."

Akane seemingly sighed in relief, and a gentle shimmering sound started to fill the cavern. The dying girl looked down to see her folded legs were beginning to dissolve into glowing green ash, and her expression changed to a relatively bright grin. Her next words flowed in a peaceful tone.

"It's funny. Back when I was fighting Orphans by myself and I thought it was my life at stake, I was terrified of this happening to me. Now it feels kind of... nice."

Shizuru watched as concern grew on her face.

"Is there anything I can do, Akane?"

The younger girl stopped to think for a few seconds, then reached to the ponytail on the back of her head. She untied the simple red ribbon that held the braid in place, allowing her brown hair to flop down into a short bob cut. She then lifted her hands so she could offer the tiny piece of fabric to Shizuru.

"Take this with you. It's not much, but it's something for you to remember me by after you beat Obsidian Lord."

Shizuru took the ribbon into her hands and placed it in the left pocket of her Student President uniform. She then spoke with a soft, reassuring tone.

"I'll take good care of it."

Happiness filled Akane's tired eyes as she continued to fade into green particles.

"I love you, Shizuru."

Shizuru responded by delicately pulling her into a deep kiss. She didn't mind the faint taste of blood growing in Akane's mouth as the younger girl bled internally, as being able to share this final moment was all that mattered to her. When she broke away from the embrace, she quietly lifted her naginata back into her hand and rose back to her feet.

As Shizuru continued to watch, Hari slowly walked to Akane's side. The armored tiger seemed to be almost as weary as his mother, and he stumbled slightly with each step he took. Akane smiled sweetly when her guardian nuzzled his metallic nose against her cheek and emitted a low mechanical purr. She spent her final breaths whispering gently into the creature's ear.

"You've been a good boy, Hari. I think we both need... some... rest..."

Akane's eyelids dropped like tiny anvils when she finished this statement. HiME and Child then lifelessly slumped against one another as they both turned to a dull gray color and burst into green flame. The pair of tonfa sitting on the cave floor disappeared in a flash of green light as Akane and Hari's final remains floated away in emerald-colored embers.

Shizuru closed her eyes and silently grit her teeth as she heard the thundering noise of the final stone pillar rising from the ground behind her. This was followed by a louder rumble as the rocks blocking the road to the Obsidian Palace crumbled away.

Nagi stepped forward and started a slow clap as he smirked in satisfaction.

"Well, it looks like we've found the true princess. I was hoping the final round wouldn't be so short, but I guess it doesn't matter when..."

Nagi's compassionless words were cut off when Shizuru let out a hysterical scream and slashed at the boy with her naginata. The blade gouged the silver-haired minion through the torso, but brought him no signs of pain. His grotesque wound healed almost instantly without spilling a drop of blood, and he casually brushed away a small crease the attack had left on his white shirt after the fabric repaired itself. He sighed and shrugged when he spoke again.

"Silly woman. I guess I should have told you Obsidian Lord won't let me die until he has no use for me, but it can't be helped."

Shizuru gasped in horror at Nagi's unearthly healing ability. She then shook her head and caused her weapon to disappear from her hands. Reminding herself this travesty would only continue for a few more minutes was the only thing keeping her thoughts in order.

"So, shall we proceed, milady?"

Nagi outstretched his arm toward the new doorway in the shrine. Shizuru quickly responded in a bitter tone.

"Take me to him."

The two figures soon entered the dark pathway and began their journey toward Obsidian Lord's throne room.


	5. Chapter 5

"Here she is, my lord."

Nagi announced his arrival when he reached the Obsidian Palace with Shizuru. The brown-haired girl looked upward to investigate her strange surroundings. Even though she was still underground, the roof of this enormous chamber appeared as a purple starry night sky. In front of her was a tall, cliff-like rock formation, with a smirking Reito Kanzaki standing on the pinnacle.

"Do you need anything else from me?"

Reito turned his head toward Nagi's voice and casually nodded toward his loyal butler.

"You've done enough, Nagi. You can stay here if you like."

As Nagi walked toward a corner of the open cavern, the black-haired boy glanced toward Shizuru. The left side of his mouth formed a small smirk when he saw her snarling expression.

"Welcome, Shizuru. As Nagi has already informed you, you're the winner of this generation's HiME Festival."

Shizuru stepped forward in subdued anger before responding.

"What are you planning, Reito? Why are you doing this?"

Obsidian Lord unfolded his arms and spoke in a supportive voice.

"The Festival is a process that ensures the peace of this land. All of the sacrifices your friends have made have filled the HiME Star with emotional energy. Normally, the winning HiME sheds her mortal body so her spirit can connect to the star and use its power to bless her people for next few hundred years, but this time is different."

He closed his eyes before continuing.

"The world is dying, Shizuru, but we can use the star together to save it. As husband and wife, we can destroy the horrible thing mankind has become and create a more peaceful place for our children to grow up."

His eyes opened again.

"Many religions believe a single male and female couple created the human race, and this will be no different. You and I can cleanse this corrupt place and become the parents of a beautiful new world, Shizuru."

He cast a warm smile to the victorious HiME before he continued.

"I know about your vow to Akane, and I assure you this is the only way to save mankind from more tragedy. If you join me, you will become Eve to the new world, and humanity can be reborn in her vision."

Shizuru answered in a blunt tone as soon as the grinning prince finished speaking. His words didn't even faze her.

"Save it."

Reito's face contorted in slight annoyance before he calmly spoke again.

"Why does my proposal offend you, Shizuru? With all the suffering you've seen, do you really think hope remains in this world?

Shizuru's eyes narrowed at these deceitful words. She made no hesitation to point out his logical fallacy.

"You mean all the suffering YOU'VE caused with your stupid ceremony? What does that prove? It sounds like you have a bit of a self-fulfilled prophecy on your hands."

The dark deity sighed at Shizuru's objections before speaking again.

"Do you hate me, then? That's not a problem. Hatred can be an even stronger emotion than love."

Shizuru grinned at Obsidian Lord's rambling reply.

"How isn't that a problem? How do you plan on getting anything done with a wife who despises you and only wants to see you fail?"

Reito's temper noticeably flared at this inquiry. His fingers clenched into fists as he muttered under his breath.

"I should have figured letting one of the damn lesbians win this was a bad idea."

When he became cool-headed again, his lips curled into a mischievous smirk.

"Are you going to fight me, my HiME?"

Shizuru rolled her eyes before lifting her arms slightly. After a short flash, her naginata materialized behind her shoulders.

"Obviously."

After hearing this response, Reito broke into a sadistic laugh and the entire chamber shook for a few seconds. Whether this latest tremor was due to the HiME Star or Obsidian Lord's own influence, Shizuru wasn't sure, but it made no difference to her. She wasn't afraid anymore.

"You do realize I'll have to burn your miserable planet to a cinder and look for a mate on a more deserving world if you refuse my offer, don't you? I'm given Earth enough chances to follow my will, and I'm quite tired of your race."

Shizuru answered him in the same cold voice as always.

"News to me, but I couldn't care less."

Obsidian Lord chuckled again before replying.

"Stupid little girl. Why are you so insistent on bringing about your own slaughter?"

Shizuru lowered the pole of her naginata from her shoulders and firmly gripped it in both hands. She spoke to her opponent as she took a battle stance.

"Because genocide is NOT what Akane wanted. I made a promise to her that I'm going to end your nonsense, and I plan on keeping it. If I can't do it, I'm at least going to make sure she can't say I didn't try when I meet her in Heaven. Anything is better than being a pushover for a creep like you."

Reito seemed slightly tickled by Shizuru's strong words. He silently reached toward the air beside him before a tasseled black sword appeared in his right hand. He then spoke toward the young woman he loomed over.

"A fine determination."

He quickly jumped from the cliff face and drew his sword back to attack. In retaliation, Shizuru held her pole arm in a defensive position. When Reito's feet touched the same rocky ground Shizuru was standing on, his blade violently struck the hilt of her naginata. The two enemies then exchanged blows, each blocking the other's attack, in an even pace. When the two fighters had physically exhausted themselves, they stepped back and gave one another determined stares.

Seeing an opening, Shizuru's lips curled into an eerie smile.

"Kiyohime."

Hearing her mistress's beckoning, Shizuru's mighty purple and silver Child erupted from the ground under Reito's feet. The surprised villain barely avoided being swallowed whole by one of the beast's five mechanical cobra heads, and his sword flew from his fingers as he frantically dodged backwards. While he remained staggered, Shizuru instantly dashed forward and stabbed with her weapon. The combined attack proved to be too much for the ancient monarch, and he was soon reduced to a shish kebab on his opponent's naginata.

Shizuru roughly twisted her weapon in revenge before withdrawing it from Reito's chest. The dying man sneered at her before coughing blood, then collapsed face-down into the earthen floor of his throne room. A large pool of crimson began staining the front of his dark gray Fuuka Academy uniform. Kiyohime loomed idly over Shizuru's head, and the victorious warrior sighed to herself as the abandoned obsidian blade disappeared from the ground.

Just when it appeared to be over, Reito's corpse began glowing in a dark aura and the entire cavern shook in the biggest tremor yet. When the glow faded and the chamber returned to peace, Shizuru snapped her head toward Nagi.

"Heh. Now you've REALLY made him angry."

When the silver-haired boy finished speaking, Shizuru turned her attention to the now-crumbling rock face Reito had stepped down from moments earlier. When the cliff collapsed away entirely, a new menace appeared from the void and floated into the cavern "sky." The colossal beast took the form of a single closed eye with twin sabers protruding from its top and bottom, giving it the appearance of a giant living lance. When the cyclops awakened and lifted its single eyelid, it nearly caused the chamber to shake just with its booming male voice.

"Congratulations, Shizuru Fujino. Your actions have doomed your society to extinction."

After gasping in shock, Shizuru turned toward to Nagi's latest taunt.

"It looks like you're getting a special showing. The master hardly ever appears in his true form."

The always clever underling gazed toward Shizuru with an insane grin as he spoke. Shizuru was then taken aback when a formation of sharp rocks exploded from the ground under her and almost impaled her. After barely dodging, she realized this new threat must have control over the very earth she was standing on.

Shizuru gazed at her final opponent with a resolved scowl. She waved toward Kiyohime and boarded one of the creature's serpentine heads before silently commanding her to take to the air. Shizuru and Obsidian Lord's central eye now hovered on level ground, and Shizuru soon swung her naginata through the air the same way a music conductor would swing his baton. As a result, Kiyohime's two foremost heads lunged forward with their venomous fangs aimed at the revived demon-god.

"How futile!"

Obsidian Lord's deep, echoing voice shouted as a grid of glowing red eyes suddenly appeared around him. This caused all of Kiyohime's heads to scream in agonized hisses and recoil as if she had just struck a solid wall. The silver and purple hydra violently bucked backwards, inadvertently throwing her mother to the ground.

Shizuru crashed to the cavern floor on her belly and exhaled in a loud grunt. Her naginata clattered into a rocky bed a few inches from her left hand. After spitting some stone dust from her mouth, she winced and looked up to hear the nightmarish enemy gloat to her again.

"As long as I control the HiME Star, your pet has no power against me."

Shizuru had almost given up hope when her prone state caused the scarlet ribbon in her pocket to brush against her heart. She then rolled into a seated position and removed the thin piece of cloth to study it in her palm. Seeing it again brought light tears to Shizuru's eyes and made her recall Akane's final attack.

Akane's final suicide attack.

That's right, Shizuru thought to herself. Her crying face smiled when she remembered how Akane had always impulsively thrown herself in harm's way more often than sending Hari to eliminate enemies. After deciding on her new strategy, she brought her hand to her mouth to give the ribbon a soft kiss, then tied it to the handle of her naginata just below the blade. She then shook her head as she spoke half-jokingly to the tiny silk bow.

"I hope you're right about this."

Shizuru rose to her feet with her weapon firmly in hand before leaping to Kiyohime's middle head. Shizuru's familiar quickly recovered and levitated into the air once again. When she was in place, Shizuru crouched on the cobra crown and spoke softly to her partner.

"Alright, Kiyohime. On my mark."

The creature now began slowly hovering toward Obsidian Lord. When Kiyohime was in the proper range, the deity's defensive wall appeared as before, and the mighty snake began quivering in pain as before. However, this time, Shizuru shouted as soon as the process began.

"Now!"

Matching her master's desperation, Kiyohime embraced her agony and pushed against Obsidian Lord's mystical shield with her full might. With all of the beast's strength behind her, Shizuru suddenly attacked the very Child she stood on with a crescent slash the back of her head. The creature was decapitated in an explosion of green fire, propelling Shizuru through Obsidian Lord's barrier and directly toward his unprotected eye.

"You fool. Do you really think sacrificing your own Child is going to save your li-... WHAT?"

Obsidian Lord's rumbling taunt stopped when he saw Shizuru and her makeshift platform launching toward him out of the sparkling green cloud Kiyohime had become. As soon as she was close enough, Shizuru used her full leg strength to push herself off of Kiyohime's dislodged head and catapult herself into combat range. Just as she sailed past her opponent, she let out a rageful battle cry and swung her naginata with every ounce of strength in her dying body. The blade struck the center of its demonic bullseye, and Shizuru knew she had won when Obsidian Lord's voice caused the cave to shake in a painful howl.

Now in a free fall, Shizuru struggled to keep her weapon in her grasp. She closed her eyes as her heart gradually stopped. She spoke in a cheerful whisper as she began disintegrating into green particles.

"We did it, Akane."

In a matter of seconds, Obsidian Lord exploded into a colossal fireball that engulfed what remained of Shizuru and Reito. The entire chamber continued to tremble uncontrollably, and the structure soon began to implode. Above ground, the HiME Star safely dissolved into the night sky, never to be seen again. Finally, with Obsidian Lord's power no longer protecting him, Nagi was now mortal. His eyes widened with horror just before the falling cavern buried him alive.

In the following weeks, no one could explain the mysterious cave-in that had caused the ground Fuuka Academy stood on to collapse and claim the evacuated school building. The leading theory was a series of abandoned mines had finally gave way and caused the land to sink. All of the evidence of the Festival had been destroyed and, with Obsidian Lord gone, the cycle of tragedy could no longer continue. Shizuru and Akane's sacrifices had created a world that would be free of the HiME system forever.

* * *

**Final notes:**

- Why did I pair the My HiME character I like the most with the My HiME character I hate the most? Because I can. Akane is the epitome of sweet. Shizuru (when her anime characterization pretends to make sense) is the epitome of spicy. Opposites attract. It gives Shizuru something "cute" to protect without going out of the way to ruin the resident Ellen Ripley character. It's my goddamn story, I'm shipping it.

- "HNNNNNG you made them fall in love too quickly!" That's kind of the point. Shizuru is lusty and impulsive. Akane just wants someone to accept her, and she doesn't really think about the effects of a relationship that far in advance (don't believe me? Just look at her Otome anime incarnation). I can honestly see Akane turning bi on a whim.

- "HNNNNNG you overanalyze Akane's capacity to love! She only ever had a high school crush on Kazuya in the show!" Okay, here's the problem: If you're going to feed me the "This is like Twilight where they're just teenagers and their relationship isn't as deep as they make it out to be," that's fine. I think you're underestimating Akane, but I'll admit it's a perfectly valid assessment. The problem I have is people who make this argument will almost always defend Shizuru and Natsuki's relationship in the same breath. Oh yeah, because the outstanding 1-2 years age difference Natsuki and Shizuru have over Akane makes them so much more intimate and mature lovers. 15? You know nothing, fool. 16 or 17? Oh, well that makes you a sage in the art of love, and you know everything you need to know to make all of those tough life decisions. By saying "Akane just suffers from puppy love because she's a random high school student," you're really indicting every relationship in the story since (barring individual cases like Fumi, Midori, and Yukariko) ALL OF THE HIME ARE RANDOM HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.

- "HNNNNNG if you like Akane so much, why didn't she make it to the end?" Because I'd only be fooling myself if I had her make it that far and actually beat Obsidian Lord. I mean, come on. Shizuru has a flying hydra with mixed range abilities, while Akane has a doofy four-legged blender and weapons that restrict her to being a pure brawler. What I find appealing about Akane is that she's able to keep herself inspired and use sheer protective willpower in place of physical strength. Why she's constantly depicted as the weakest HiME when she's literally the most relevant character to the Festival storyline's theme of how the sincerest form of love and the most pure-hearted intentions can be exploited, I have no idea. Regardless, unless I threw in the "Childs get bigger when the HiME care more" clause from the anime (and THAT made no sense, considering it came out of nowhere and Natsuki wasn't the only character to either switch VIPs and/or become closer to their VIPs during the course of the series), it's not happening. If I sold out and turned her into Sephiroth Goku the Stampede to make her look cool, she wouldn't be "Akane" anymore. That would defeat the entire reason why I like her.

- Plus, as previously noted, she's just not cut out to win in the TV show's context. I don't deny she's pretty much reserved as the "virgin sacrifice" character in every interpretation of the HiME Festival storyline (TV series, Tree of Fate game, and EXA manga). The problem isn't that she loses all the time. The problem is her loss should MEAN SOMETHING. Case in point, I actually really like EXA's depiction of Akane. She goes out trying to protect Kazuya, and her loss has huge effects on Mai's character development.

- Madoka Magica references everywhere, Akane in this story is generally modeled after Madoka, while Shizuru is generally modeled after Homura. They trade places a few times with the way I have them work off each other, though. Chapter 3 was closely modeled after Madoka Timeline 3, but that should be brutally obvious.

- I published Chapter 4 on March 25, 2011. Read the comments section if you think I'm kidding. The 11th and 12th episodes of Madoka Magica didn't air until April 21, 2011. As I watched the scene in the final episode where Madoka gives Homura her ribbons and tells her to keep them as a memento before she gets pinksparkled, my initial reaction was "hahaha what."

- During the Yukariko Incident, I deliberately made Ishigami into a neutral entity. I did this because his "Hi, I'm an art teacher ... Hi, I'm now a psychopath with a world domination scheme so I can be a tool for forcibly creating tragedy" characterization in the anime was stupid. I'm sorry, and I know a lot of fans are going to defend it by saying "B-b-b-but it gave us Takumi's death scene and Mai's great reaction!", but it's true. It's just idiotic. It was one of the biggest things that turned the anime's Festival storyline into a giant this-is-an-interesting-concept-but-it's-nowhere-near-as-deep-as-it-thinks-it-is joke.

- I omitted Searrs for similar reasons. The "Hey guys, we just clearly established we're capable of putting our differences aside and using strategy, friendship, and teamwork to defeat a common enemy ... But let's ignore all that for no reason, and mindlessly kill each other until Mashiro decides to start acting sane again and tells us not to" genre shift in the anime was abysmal.

- Shizuru's unorthodox method of converting Kiyohime into a Back to the Future hoverboard came entirely from my head, surprisingly. It wasn't based on anything I've watched.

- I'm incredibly pretentious, and I feel my opinion is always right.


End file.
